Please help!

[angelfairy16]

I'm 34 weeks pregnant with my second child. I found out that there is now a law in place stating that if you fail a prenatal drug screening (which I did of course) that when the baby is born it's first fecal matter will be tested and if the baby tests positive social services will be informed and become involved. I have quit smoking for about a week now. Now, my doctor told me that if I buy a home drug test and pass that my baby will not fail the test. My biggest concern is how I can safely detox so that my baby will not be taken from me. I smoked the entire time I was pregnant with my first daughter and she has no medical problems whatsoever. She was born weighing 6lbs 6ozs and was 21 1/2 inches long. I do not want my children taken from me because I believe that there is nothing wrong with smoking something that is completely natural. Please help!!!

[Weedhound]

I've NEVER heard of such a thing but I'm not in Louisiana either.

Number one....get a lawyer. They're talking about your child here.

Then ask your doctor.....not a bunch of strangers....about what's safest for your health.

Good luck.

[HighNMighty]

You smoked while pregnant? I don't give a f*ck what you 'believe', that is wrong. "Natural"? Get a clue.

Next time you are pregnant, put down the joint and educate yourself.


Consequences of prenatal toxin exposure for mental health in children and adolescents: a systematic review.

Bluhm EC, Daniels J, Pollock BH, Olshan AF; Children's Oncology Group (United States).

Department of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, CB #7435, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7435, USA.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether maternal use of recreational drugs around conception and pregnancy influences the risk of childhood neuroblastoma. METHODS: Self-reported use of recreational drugs from one month prior to pregnancy until diagnosis was assessed among mothers of 538 children with neuroblastoma (diagnosed 1992-1994 and identified through the Children's Cancer Group and Pediatric Oncology Group) and 504 age-matched controls (identified by random-digit dialing). Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were estimated using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for age at diagnosis and household income. RESULTS: Maternal use of any illicit or recreational drug around pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of neuroblastoma in offspring (OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.13, 3.00), particularly use of marijuana in the first trimester of pregnancy (OR = 4.75, 95% CI: 1.55, 16.48). Marijuana use in the month before pregnancy did not increase risk. The effect of gestational marijuana exposure was strongest in subjects diagnosed before age one. Evaluation of recreational drugs other than marijuana was limited by infrequent use, and analyses of drug use by fathers were not carried out due to missing data. CONCLUSIONS: Maternal recreational drug use and marijuana use during pregnancy were associated with increased risk of neuroblastoma in offspring. Further examination of these drugs and the risk of childhood cancer is warranted.



Discrete opioid gene expression impairment in the human fetal brain associated with maternal marijuana use.
Wang X, Dow-Edwards D, Anderson V, Minkoff H, Hurd YL.

Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska Institute, Stockholm, Sweden.

Fetal development is a period sensitive to environmental influences such as maternal drug use. The most commonly used illicit drug by pregnant women is marijuana. The present study investigated the effects of in utero marijuana exposure on expression levels of opioid-related genes in the human fetal forebrain in light of the strong interaction between the cannabinoid and opioid systems. The study group consisted of 42 midgestation fetuses from saline-induced voluntary abortions. The opioid peptide precursors (preprodynorphin and preproenkephalin (PENK)) and receptor (mu, kappa and delta) mRNA expression were assessed in distinct brain regions. The effect of prenatal cannabis exposure was analyzed by multiple regression controlling for confounding variables (maternal alcohol and cigarette use, fetal age, sex, growth measure and post-mortem interval). Prenatal cannabis exposure was significantly associated with increased mu receptor expression in the amygdala, reduced kappa receptor mRNA in mediodorsal thalamic nucleus and reduced preproenkephalin expression in the caudal putamen. Prenatal alcohol exposure primarily influenced the kappa receptor mRNA with reduced levels in the amygdala, claustrum, putamen and insula cortex. No significant effect of prenatal nicotine exposure could be discerned in the present study group. These results indicate that maternal cannabis and alcohol exposure during pregnancy differentially impair opioid-related genes in distinct brain circuits that may have long-term effects on cognitive and emotional behaviors.


Maternal smoking, drinking or cannabis use during pregnancy and neurobehavioral and cognitive functioning in human offspring.
Huizink AC, Mulder EJ.

Erasmus Medical Center, Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, P.O. Box 2060, 3000 CB Rotterdam, The Netherlands. [email protected]

Teratological investigations have demonstrated that agents that are relatively harmless to the mother may have significant negative consequences to the fetus. Among these agents, prenatal alcohol, nicotine or cannabis exposure have been related to adverse offspring outcomes. Although there is a relatively extensive body of literature that has focused upon birth and behavioral outcomes in newborns and infants after prenatal exposure to maternal smoking, drinking and, to a lesser extent, cannabis use, information on neurobehavioral and cognitive teratogenic findings beyond these early ages is still quite limited. Furthermore, most studies have focused on prenatal exposure to heavy levels of smoking, drinking or cannabis use. Few recent studies have paid attention to low or moderate levels of exposure to these substances. This review endeavors to provide an overview of such studies, and includes animal findings and potential mechanisms that may explain the mostly subtle effects found on neurobehavioral and cognitive outcomes. It is concluded that prenatal exposure to either maternal smoking, alcohol or cannabis use is related to some common neurobehavioral and cognitive outcomes, including symptoms of ADHD (inattention, impulsivity), increased externalizing behavior, decreased general cognitive functioning, and deficits in learning and memory tasks.


... and that was just the top of the first page of a PubMed search. I hope your baby is okay.

[HighNMighty]

Marijuana impairs growth in mid-gestation fetuses.
Hurd YL, Wang X, Anderson V, Beck O, Minkoff H, Dow-Edwards D.

Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska University Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. [email protected]

Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is the most commonly used illicit drug by pregnant women, but information is limited about the effects of prenatal cannabis exposure on fetal development. The present study evaluated the influence of early maternal marijuana use on fetal growth. Women electing voluntary saline-induced abortions were recruited at a mid-gestational stage of pregnancy (weeks 17-22), and detailed drug use and medical histories were obtained. Toxicological assays (maternal urine and fetal meconium) were used in conjunction with the maternal report to assign groups. Subjects with documented cocaine and opiate use were excluded. Main developmental outcome variables were fetal weight, foot length, body length, and head circumference; ponderal index was also examined. Analyses were adjusted for maternal alcohol and cigarette use. Marijuana (n=44)- and nonmarijuana (n=95)-exposed fetuses had similar rates of growth with increased age. However, there was a 0.08-cm (95% CI -0.15 to -0.01) and 14.53-g (95% CI -28.21 to 0.86) significant reduction of foot length and body weight, respectively, for marijuana-exposed fetuses. Moreover, fetal foot length development was negatively correlated with the amount and frequency of marijuana use reported by the mothers. These findings provide evidence of a negative impact of prenatal marijuana exposure on the mid-gestational fetal growth even when adjusting for maternal use of other substances well known to impair fetal development.


In utero marijuana exposure associated with abnormal amygdala dopamine D2 gene expression in the human fetus.
Wang X, Dow-Edwards D, Anderson V, Minkoff H, Hurd YL.

Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Psychiatry Section, Karolinska Institute, 171-76 Stockholm, Sweden.

BACKGROUND: Marijuana (Cannabis sativa) is the illicit drug most used by pregnant women, and behavioral and cognitive impairments have been documented in cannabis-exposed offspring. Despite the extensive use of marijuana, very limited information exists as to the consequences of prenatal cannabis exposure on the developing human brain. METHODS: We optimized an in situ hybridization histochemistry technique to visualize mRNA expression in midgestation (weeks 18-22) human fetal specimens from mothers with and without documented evidence of cannabis use during pregnancy. The cannabinoid receptor type 1 (CB(1)) and major dopamine receptor subtypes, D(1) and D(2), were examined in the striatum and mesocorticolimbic structures (amygdala and hippocampus). RESULTS: Adjusting for various covariates, we found a specific reduction, particularly in male fetuses, of the D(2) mRNA expression levels in the amygdala basal nucleus in association with maternal marijuana use. The reduction was positively correlated with the amount of maternal marijuana intake during pregnancy. No significant cannabis-related alterations were detected in the hippocampus or caudal striatum for the D(2), D(1), and CB(1) mRNA levels, although alcohol showed significant contribution to striatal D(1)/D(2) expression. CONCLUSIONS: These human fetal findings suggest that in utero cannabis exposure may impair distinct mesocorticolimbic neural systems that regulate emotional behavior.


Go ahead, light up another one! :stoned:

[stinkyattic]

Hey High n Mighty... get off your high and mighty horse. What's done is done, and whether or not you agree, if you can't participate in a constructive way, you are going to be asked to leave.

[HighNMighty]

Sorry. I came off a bit crass. But, seriously, we aren't talking about a job, or getting kicked out of school... we are talking about the well-being of a human life.

And, I did back up my distaste with substance. It's not about whether I agree or disagree. Science disagrees.

I would go back and edit out my harshness, but it seems too late. But, my point stands.

Do you not agree?

[angelfairy16]

you know what? i don't need your negative response. i did my research and there is NOTHING that PROVES that smoking while you are pregnant causes any sort of problems for your baby. all these studies you keep showing are not done on women that smoke only. they drink and take other drugs as well which i do NOT do. how about you look up melanie dreher. she has done studies for 20+ years about pregnant women smoking pot. so unless you have something useful for me, how about you go harass someone that hasn't done their research. and for your information, every one of my ultrasounds shows that i have a healthy, happy baby with a very strong heartbeat.

[stinkyattic]

Why don't you [High n Mighty] explain to the class what the amalgyd dopamine D2 gene does. And why don't we also wait for some of the older women on-site to log in and comment on their cannabis use in their childbearing years, including during their pregnancies.

You may find medical papers that show no adverse relationship between cannabis use and pregnancy. IT simply depends upon where one looks, in the same way that you may find compelling research on both sides of the greenhouse effect research.

Edit: In this case it seems your 'research' is not even relevant to this instance.

The OP was not asking if her child would be healthy; she is looking for legal advice, so please try to stay on the subject. Thanks.

[HighNMighty]

I'm happy your baby is getting along fine. Please accept my sincere apology for my tune. But, I do find it a bit ignorant that you think because marijuana is "natural" that there is no chance of detrimental effects to your baby.

There are many "natural" substances that have the ability to be lethal in mcg doses.

I just don't understand why someone would take that chance simply for a "head change".

Please link me to literature in which you have studied. I am intersted.

edit: Nevermind... this is about legality and not health.

[stinkyattic]

But, I do find it a bit ignorant that you think because marijuana is "natural" that there is no chance of detrimental effects to your baby.
There are many "natural" substances that have the ability to be lethal in mcg doses.
I just don't understand why someone would take that chance simply for a "head change".
The OP has given little information on whether she believes that all natural substances are therefore safe, and your assumption casts aspersions on her intelligence. You assume that 'something completely natural' applies to all natural things, while 'something' can just as easily be singular, and refer to a specific thing, in this case cannabis.

Again, can we get back to the legal topic and off the judgments?

[HighNMighty]

Just to clarify... I meant "ignorant" in the strict sense, as in not knowing any better. Not an assault on the OP's intelligence, as if I were to use the term "stupid", which was not implied.

But, you are right, this is not the thread for this discussion.

[angelfairy16]

http://www.medicalcannabis.com/pregnancy.htm

I think you may actually find this interesting.

And just to let you know, I don't smoke weed only to "get high". I happen to have a very serious anxiety problem and an eating disorder and do not have regular health insurance where I can go see a doctor and get prescribed medicine for it. And personally, I would prefer to smoke weed over drinking the poison that people call alcohol or smoking ciggarettes that have added chemicals in it that have been PROVEN to cause cancer.

[HighNMighty]

http://www.medicalcannabis.com/pregnancy.htm

I think you may actually find this interesting.

And just to let you know, I don't smoke weed only to "get high". I happen to have a very serious anxiety problem and an eating disorder and do not have regular health insurance where I can go see a doctor and get prescribed medicine for it. And personally, I would prefer to smoke weed over drinking the poison that people call alcohol or smoking ciggarettes that have added chemicals in it that have been PROVEN to cause cancer.

Thanks for the link, but it seems to not be working.

Also, again, I apologize for being so "in your face" rude. It's a bit of a touchy subject for me. So, I will do some quick searching on your original issue (wrt testing and such). Good luck!

[stinkyattic]

Yikes, an eating disorder is not something to fuck around with during pregnancy!
I'd talk to an attorney, or if you are not comfortable with that, a womens' advocacy group, who can point you in the right direction for good legal advice. If you have your anxiety and eating disorder documented by a medical professional (which, no doubt, you do by now with pre-natal visits?), that may be in your favor; but, again, that is something that an attorney familiar with your state's laws can help you with.

Here's somewhere to start anyway:
National Women's Law Center: Stay Connected with the National Women's Law Center (http://action.nwlc.org/site/PageNavigator/GA_signup?sr=ga&gclid=CPKn-JmWwJQCFR-uQAodAFFKUA)

Edit: One of my acquaintances works for a womens crisis center as a legal advocate. I will ask her next time I see her how this is handled in my state. Although she deals more with women who are in troubled times, that must be a subject that comes up frequently. I'm also thinking that since that will be the only substance, they hopefully would not be bothered to go through the expense and disruption of any action on it?

[SexyStoney]

Angelfairy,

First of all, I don't have ANY doubts that your baby will be born healthy. :) I have two very close friends who both smoked the "green" during their entire pregnancies, and their babies/children were born perfectly fine and healthy. In fact, one of my friends TOLD her gyno when she was still in her 1st trimester that she was smoking pot due to morning sickness, and her doctor didn't bat an eye - even stating that she had quite a few patients who used weed as a method to relieve their nausea as it was the only thing they could find that eased this symptom of pregnancy.

I work in the legal field, and have never heard of such a law as you have described... Is this perhaps a "state" law? As far as detoxing goes... How soon do you have to pass the "at home drug test?" If you are pregnant and need to detox quickly and safely, then of course, the best person to ask is your doctor - have you thought about asking him/her about this issue, i.e. how to safely detox while pregnant, specifically? I don't figure it would hurt since your doc already knows you've been smoking... If your doc won't give you any suggestions, all I can say is that drinking lots of PURE cranberry juice and water for a few days is the surest method I've used to detox quickly, and I wouldn't think this method would hurt your baby. Another suggestion - have you thought about calling a local health food store (preferably not a GNC, but a locally owned one) and asking (obviously anonymously) if any of the detox products they sell are safe for use during pregnancy? I know some of these "natural" detoxes simply contain vitamins/herbal ingredients (which does not necessarily mean they are safe for pregnant women, although you could, if necessary, get a list of everything in it and do an internet search on each one to find out if any or all are safe for you).

Since you've been smoking your entire pregnancy and are not too far from delivery, you do not have much time to detox (as you are well aware, I know). However, since you HAVE stopped smoking for a week already, if social services DOES have to get involved due to the new law, I think you still have a fighting chance at keeping your baby. If you can pass a drug test after delivery, I would think that will be in your favor. If social services does become involved, it's possible that you might just be put on some type of probation period wherein you would be randomly screened to ensure you have maintained abstinency from the substance (provided there are no other potential issues SS could use against you if they investigated extensively).

I wouldn't stress too too much over all of this. I know that's easier said than done, but the last thing you need right now is ANY type of stress. I'm with Weedhound on this, though, and think consulting an attorney would not only be in your best interests (and your child's, of course) but will empower you with valuable knowledge so you will at least know what to expect when the time comes, and that alone can help put your mind at rest and ease your anxiety - which is SO important for you right now!

Good luck!! I wish you the best! :thumbsup:

[bugmenot2]

Wow, I feel really sorry for you. Talk about catch 22, you smoke to relieve your anxiety and this is the time you really need it. I don't personally think it's a good idea to smoke anything whilst pregnant, but I wish you all the best, hope it works out.

[birdgirl73]

Angelfire, I'm hoping you're already in the process of letting yourself come clean and wanted to reassure you that you're not really going to be de-toxifying in the same way you would if you were coming off a narcotic drug with true physical addiction potential. You're simply letting cannabis metabolites clear from your system, which can happen safely by simply ceasing to use and waiting for your body to clear those metabolites, which takes time depending on how much cannabis you're accustomed to using.

I'm not expressing this hope because of your baby's potential danger, although I do think it's inadvisable, no matter what you're using cannabis for, to smoke during pregnancy, despite the fact that numerous people have done so without incident and will continue to do so. I'm expressing this hope because that law does seem to be on the books in Louisiana and I know you need to be clean in order not to risk losing your baby if you and the baby are drug-screened when you give birth. One of my cousins is a family attorney in north Louisiana and he said that statute is normally used to remove minor children when drug use is habitual and combined with a criminal drug history and more often when it involves substances that are much more dangerous than cannabis. Trust me on this. The entire obstetric and social services community in the uniquely substance-laden state of Louisiana (my native state, incidentally) are well aware that young mothers and babies sometimes test positive for cannabis. The thing you don't want to do is bring down any unnecessary scrutiny on yourself or invite any further examination of your circumstances because it sounds like you're also dealing with some other health issues that might make a social services agency question your fitness for parenting or at least cause them to believe you'd merit a closer evaluation.

I think Stinky's suggestion to talk to an attorney is a good one. If you call the nearest law school to you (LSU has a big law clinic) or the parish legal aid society in your area, you should be able to consult with one for free. You can also probably get some answers about how the social services professionals at the hospital or clinic where you plan to deliver might react by asking one of your friends or relatives to call that hospital's social work department and simply asking what their standard policy is for neonates (newborn babies) who test positive for cannabis. They should be able to provide a fairly clear answer, as could your parish's child protective services office.

Best of luck to you and your baby.

[Chronic Chrissy]

Have a natural home birth! I wish I had and will with my next. As for the pot use I was told by a midwife to use it for a collection of reasons, and even my Doctor told me it would be worse for me to stop using it, especially considering the legal meds I would need without it.

[illnillinois]

i think your fine, you could always play dumb til the end! You can say (and its up to the state to PROVE its not) you dont smoke and if the test they took is a false positive and stick to your guns and tell them sometimes people that your around sometimes smoke and might of inhaled 2nd hand smoke..


fuck the man and never admit to ANYTHING to the man!!


p.s. if your smoking for something that can be handled/treated temporary in another way, it would be good..
dont think weed or any drug to be taking durning preg is ever good.

[Stoner Shadow Wolf]

i am a son of pot. my mom quit drinking and smoking, but she smoked pot several times while she was pregnant with me.



i am fine, albeit the auditory hallucinations, and TV watches me, but that's a separate matter! :D


and only recent too so nyeah.


anywyas... she drank a little with my sister, and my sister has one leg shorter than the other.


that was just a LITTLE drinking.



but she smoked more pot with me and i came out perfect by all standards, otehr than my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck...


but my sisters was twice!!

[stinkyattic]

but she smoked more pot with me and i came out perfect by all standards, otehr than my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck...
but my sisters was twice!!I can't resist... if you hadn't been so darn womb-locked, you would have probably had yours wrapped around THREE times! But we all know what cannabis does to your motivation to get up and dance! :D
(Hope y'all know I am joking)

[Chronic Chrissy]

i am a son of pot. my mom quit drinking and smoking, but she smoked pot several times while she was pregnant with me.

i am fine, albeit the auditory hallucinations, and TV watches me, but that's a separate matter! :D

and only recent too so nyeah.

anywyas... she drank a little with my sister, and my sister has one leg shorter than the other.

that was just a LITTLE drinking.

but she smoked more pot with me and i came out perfect by all standards, otehr than my umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck...

but my sisters was twice!!

I would have thought that the hallucinations would more likely be the cause of pot while pg, and not so much the shorter leg and cord being wrapped. Do you really know enough about pregnancies and development to add to this conversation? Or do you just want to convince all the other people against MJ while pg that they are right and we are ill informed and unable to process valuble contributing information...

(Chong voice)
"The baby will be fine man, just spin in circles while in labor to unwrap the umbilical cord, oh and don't forget to flip man, you lay on one side to long and you'll squish it's limbs." As he passes the joint.
(sorry for the humor I couldn't help it)